If you read and enjoyed “The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments” then you’ll likely want to add “The Boy Chemist” to your library. “The Boy Chemist” is a book by A. Frederick Collin, published in 1924 by Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co., Boston. This 300+ page book outlines tons of interesting home chemistry projects, including how to prepare several elements and compounds (e.g., oxygen, chlorine, hydrogen, hydrochloric acid), how to make useful home chemicals (e.g., soap, stain removers, disinfectants), and how make simple pyrotechnic devices and use chemistry to perform magic tricks.

As you have likely figured out, many of these projects are a little on the risky side so they won’t be found in modern chemistry books. I probably would not recommend this book for an actual ‘boy chemist’, but it’s a wonderful chemistry book for an adult chemist.

The Boy Chemist PDF File

You can download the pdf of “The Boy Chemist” to save on your computer or print. It’s public domain, so you may distribute the book, too.